Monday’s are tough. It’s back to the grind. It might be hard to let the weekend go, so we keep one foot planted in Sunday and, begrudgingly, place the other one down in Monday, knowing at some point we will have to let Sunday go completely. 

If you find it hard to get motivated on Monday or you find you are choosing to do the easy work, like emails, so you don’t have to face the more challenging tasks that require things like real thinking and problem solving—rest assured, you are not alone. And this behavior actually has a name, it’s called structured procrastination. Yes, responding to emails is a form of procrastination, AND you already knew that, didn’t you? When you choose to respond to emails, you know there is something way more pressing and important that you should be doing, right? I know, me, too!

So today, try this to make yourself work when you really don’t feel like it. Simply tell yourself you’ll work for 45 minutes. That’s it. Choose a task (or tasks) that need to be completed. Set a timer for 20 minutes and begin working. Keep working on your task until the timer goes off and do your best to avoid switching tasks or getting distracted by things like social media or even email. When the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break (mandatory, btw) and then begin again. Working in short spurts helps us get started. We don’t need to wait until we feel motivated, we simply need to set up the “game,” and begin to “play.” Try it today and let me know how you make out! This strategy has made me incredibly productive, especially when I’m feeling less than motivated.

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth